actress

[ ak-tris ]
See synonyms for actress on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a woman who acts in stage plays, motion pictures, television broadcasts, etc., especially professionally.

Origin of actress

1
First recorded in 1580–90; act(o)r + -ess

usage note For actress

What's the difference between actress and actor? See -ess.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use actress in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for actress

actress

/ (ˈæktrɪs) /


noun
  1. a woman who acts in a play, film, broadcast, etc

  2. informal a woman who puts on a false manner in order to deceive others

usage For actress

Use of the word actress to refer to a female who acts is old-fashioned. The modern gender-neutral form is actor

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012